Willie Mitchell symptom-free after 18 days of skating; Sharks reportedly interested in his services
by Mr. Plank on Aug 2, 2010 9:34 PM PDT
in Armchair GM
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PrintIn news that could only be considered a positive thing for a Sharks team in desperate need of a blueline addition, former Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell has reportedly been symptom-free for the last eighteen days after sustaining a concussion during January of last season.
Dan Murphy tweeted a little while ago that Willie Mitchell has been training and skating for 18 days and is symptom-free of his nasty concussion. Murphy says that Mitchell has narrowed his choice destination from 12 interested teams down to 4. Vancouver is most likely in the mix. I am glad for Mitchell. For the Canucks to retain his services though, they are going to have to move more than just a Kevin Bieksa. On top of that, Mike Gillis still needs to shore up the Canucks' bottom 6.
Attentive readers will remember an article from earlier this offseason where I looked at Mitchell's injury, how it affected his job offers on July 1st, and what he brings to the table when healthy. Assuming that Murphy's information is correct and Mitchell is indeed healthy and skating without any nagging symptoms, one has to think Doug Wilson has made a phone call to Allan Walsh expressing interest in his client.
Could the Sharks be one of the four teams Mitchell is interested in? According to Sportsnet.ca, it appears that they are:
The Port McNeill, B.C., native has narrowed it down to four teams including the Canucks; the other teams are believed to be the Red Wings, Sharks and Capitals.
At this juncture I think we can rule out the Canucks as being a viable option for Mitchell's services-- they're currently loaded on the blueline with eight legitimate NHL defenseman, and have negative $2.16MM in cap space remaining. If Bieksa is moved that would clear some space, but as Nucks Misconduct mentioned, a priority for Gillis will be to shore up his bottom six forward group. They have likely moved on unless Mitchell decides to take a massive paycut from the $3.5MM he made last season.
As for the remaining three, all are legitimate contenders for his services-- the Red Wings have reportedly signed Mike Modano to a one year deal worth $1.25MM, but have enough cap space in order to squeeze in Mitchell if they desire to do so. Washington is in desperate need of defensive help with sufficient cap space, and San Jose has weaknesses on the backend with enough room to work Mitchell in as well.
I don't think there's any doubt that Mitchell would have found a home on July 1st if there weren't questions about his concussion symptoms-- only Chris Pronger, Zdeno Chara, and Marc Staal faced higher quality of competition with fewer goals against at five on five last season, putting him in the upper echelon of players you want to see take a shift during the third period of a playoff game. I put him behind only Paul Martin, Dan Hamhuis, and Zbynek Michalek before Free Agency began this summer, and with all of those players finding homes on the first day, it's safe to say that Mitchell is probably the most obtainable target out there for the Sharks at this juncture. As well as one who could get you the most value.
The fact that he would come in and be able to log big minutes in both shorthanded and even strength situations makes him a very attractive target to replace Rob Blake, something that was covered extensively a month ago:
Those are great numbers for a defenseman, with Mitchell giving the Sharks exactly what they need-- a legitimate top three defenseman who can go up against the opponents best night after night. Furthermore, it allows Doug Wilson to go after the puck moving defenseman (i.e. Tomas Kaberle) that he craves, setting up a situation where each pairing has both a shutdown and offensive blueliner. The balance on the backend would be phenomenal, and with young players like Jamie McGinn and Logan Couture expected to make strides amongst the forwards, would give the Sharks great balance throughout their entire lineup.
It's an intriguing possibility, and one I wholeheartedly hope ends up happening. The upside here, especially with Mitchell fully healthy, is just too much to pass up.
Go Sharks.
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Yikes, us vs. Washington and Detroit. Can’t pull the “we’re contenders” card. Can’t say I like our odds of signing him against those teams.
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Mitchell got married in Napa Valley— he loves California!
In all seriousness though, I don’t see how either the Wings or Caps would have an advantage over San Jose, and vice versa. Washington is on the East Coast away from his home, but are in the less rugged East which could be attractive for a guy coming off a severe concussion injury. His wife was born in Minnesota which gives the Red Wings a little boost, but the Sharks are much closer to Vancouver where he currently lives. I’d say it’s all even when it’s said and done.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
If he were on the Caps, he’d have to play the Pen’s 4 times this year. I’m not sure he wants to see that much of Malkin…
I’m just reaching here…
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Less Rugged?
Speaking as a transplant from Boston, I can say, unequivocally that East coast winters blow compared to what we get out here.
It’s why I moved out.
Less Flu. Less cold. Less %^&$ing Snow shovelling. Less lumberjacking wood for the winter.
Down-side is miss frozen pond skating.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
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Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
Well it certainly isn't the weather ;-)
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
Travel schedule and physical play, to be exact. But yeah, as a man who was born and lived in Minnesota, I can assure you I definitely wasn’t talking about the weather haha.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
LOL. Ok. Trumped.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
The Caps are at an obvious geographic disadvantage, I think the only possible advantage they have is that they can afford to spend a little more and he’s guaranteed a top pair spot in Washington. He might be top pair in San Jose and definitely will not be in Detroit. If that matters then maybe the Caps can sell him on that. Otherwise, as much as it would be awesome, I think the Caps are a real long shot here.
Lockout talk makes me want to go out and choke an old lady - Elliotte Friedman
no, we can’t play the “we’re contenders” card. which is why we’re going to play the “seriously, where would you rather live?” card. =]
"Nichol is like a big, mean energizer bunny. Well, not big, but he's mean."
That’s a nice card to play…
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 3, 2010 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions
You guys are too hard on your team. I’d call them contenders.
Sheesh, I feel just like I did during the Avs series when I had confidence in Marleau.
In Dinglebarn We Trust
I don’t think anyone thinks the Sharks aren’t contenders. It’s just that the Caps and Wings clearly are, too.
by niittytwister on Aug 3, 2010 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions
This.
We can’t play the “we’re contenders” card if everyone else is too…
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 3, 2010 8:58 PM PDT up reply actions
This is awesome news.
Of the four teams listed, I see the Sharks and Capitals as the best possible fits for Mitchell. I don’t think the Wings have any big holes on defense like the Sharks and Caps do.
Don't let the name deceive you, I'm not just a Sharks fan but a Lakers, 49ers, Angels, Giants (and to a lesser extent) Capitals, and Titans fan.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Aug 2, 2010 9:41 PM PDT reply actions
Please. Please. Please.
He might want to stay on the West Coast, and at least we can say we played in the WCF last year.
Oh lord. Please.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
Hopefully DW can entice him to sign here.
Maybe he can offer him access to his tanning bed to sweeten the deal.
Don't let the name deceive you, I'm not just a Sharks fan but a Lakers, 49ers, Angels, Giants (and to a lesser extent) Capitals, and Titans fan.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Aug 2, 2010 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, that is the one hope is that he wants to stay out here. Washington can really, really use him too, though. I don’t see Detroit being able to offer as much $$$ as us or the Caps, though.
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 2, 2010 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Don’t count out Mitchell in Vancouver.
We deal Bieksa, and Mitchell becomes Salo’s injury replacement.
Plus, the Canucks are over the Cap, but we have 26 players signed!
There is room. If they can get a fair deal done, I would wager that the Canucks are #1 on Willie’s list. The Sharks, Wings and Caps will have to pay top dollar. We might get a little discount for being home.
Sorry Plank…we love him too. One of the reasons we do is that he is the kind of stand up guy that would look at the Canucks as home and the Cup as unfinished biz. You know how much it hurt him to miss the dance this past summer.
That’s the kind of guy we want around.
if we get bieksa and not michell than I’m happy. The two are pretty interchangeable, and it seems vancouver feels the same way, and therefore will likely not deal bieksa just to sign mitchell
by DucksSuckQuackQuack on Aug 2, 2010 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Sorry.
But they aren’t close.
Mitchell is a shutdown defensive guy that was sorely missed on our suddenly playoff inept PK. He only gets about 10 points a year. Or less. But he is strong in the intangibles, and is a big minute defensive guy against #1 players. The dirty play that Malkin hit him with last year was because he deftly broke up a play and stole the puck from him easily. It was a dirty play out of spite and anger…and Malkin still didn’t get suspended!~ ( Grtrr…sorry, old wound…)
Bieksa is a strong offensive defenseman ( both he and Mitchell make a good first pass ), with a penchant for jumping up and a good PP part to his game. He is also a great team guy and just as capable of getting you three goals, a fight and some big hits one game or go -2 and give up the puck to cost a breakaway the next. He has a much higher ceiling than Willie, but Willie is as good at what he does as anyone in the league.
Both hit like trucks, but Mitchell only does it in position ( who knows how willing he is to do it as much with the last injury and all )…and Bieksa’s hitting being more high impact. He fights a lot more ( another thing Willie does too, but not as much, and maybe not at all anymore ).
Basically, Bieksa is more high risk and high reward, and needs a strong coach to keep him on the path.
Willie is more a defensive defenseman and leader, but only gives you a quarter of the offensive production Bieksa does.
Personally, if you are replacing Blake, Bieksa is the better choice offensively, and Mitchell the other side of the coin.
The Ducks are rumored to be heavy on Bieksa right now ) Carlyle was his coach in the AHL )…I expect it to be a case of two deals happening right away, and him going there.
I don’t think the Canucks want to trade him to a team like the Sharks. We expect to see you in the 2nd or 3rd rd.
The Ducks look to be rebuilding, and would be a better bet.
I still think the trade for Ballard and the signing of Hamhuis signaled that the Nucks front office was moving on from Willie Mitchell. We will see, though…
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 3, 2010 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Good breakdown.
In response to your earlier comment, do you really think the Canucks would need another defenseman even if they move Bieksa? Most reports I’ve read indicate that Salo would be back by Christmas, meaning that the Canucks would have to begin counting him against their cap space— a deal with Mitchell leaves them in the same situation they are in with Bieksa right now, with a lot of blueliners and limited cash to use. I’d think that Gillis would have to move another defenseman in order to justify signing Mitchell.
I do agree that the Canucks would have the upper hand in negotiations though— definitely makes sense.
For the Sharks, I’d much rather obtain Mitchell compared to Bieksa. We need a top three shutdown guy much more than an offensive defenseman considering we have a lot of cap space and talent tied up in our top six forward group.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Basically, Bieksa is more high risk and high reward, and needs a strong coach to keep him on the path.
If this is the case, I think San Jose is the wrong fit for him. I’m probably of the dissenting opinion around here, but I don’t think Todd McLellan is a particularly strong coach. I have no serious rational basis for this, but I sincerely doubt his ability to rein in a player.
Personally, if you are replacing Blake, Bieksa is the better choice offensively, and Mitchell the other side of the coin.
We definitely need the help defensively. We need it offensively, but sadly, we have $21M+ invested in our top line. Obviously you need 5 guys on the ice to contribute offensively, but the realities of the cap mean we just have to hope our big money guys can get it done regardless of whether or not there’s a quarterback on the point.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
If this is the case, I think San Jose is the wrong fit for him. I’m probably of the dissenting opinion around here, but I don’t think Todd McLellan is a particularly strong coach. I have no serious rational basis for this, but I sincerely doubt his ability to rein in a player.
He let Nabby start 71 games.
We definitely need the help defensively. We need it offensively, but sadly, we have $21M+ invested in our top line. Obviously you need 5 guys on the ice to contribute offensively, but the realities of the cap mean we just have to hope our big money guys can get it done regardless of whether or not there’s a quarterback on the point.
Our big money guys will have Boyle, and our not so big money guys will have Demers who i’m confident will do a fine job offensively.
I don’t think we really need an offensive defensemen with a “hard shot” or anything like that, I think we just need a defenseman who can play solid defense and make good strong passes up the ice. A puck mover, but not necessarily an offensive defenseman.
Except unless you expect Demers’ minutes to miraculously jump, we’re going to have to rely on Boyle for 30 minutes a game again. And that, in my book, is not a recipe for success. That’s why I like the idea of bringing in a Kaberle type. Then you can give both Boyle and Kaberle around 22 minutes a game, and no one will get worn out. Demers can chip in with the second pp unit and in sheltered third pairing minutes.
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 3, 2010 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Well i guess it all depends on how much Demers can step it up and how many minutes he can play for. I definitely expect Boyle to be out there 100% of the time our top line is out there, and most of the time our second line is out there with Demers helping out. So Boyle would probably have to do like 25 minutes, while Demers would do 15+ (helping out with the second line and being out there for the 3rd line).
As the offseason has gone on i’ve been wanting to keep Clowe more and more, and while Kaberle would be nice, i don’t know how necessary he is.
Plus, from all the rumors it sounds like Burke is going to want a fair bit more than just Ryane Clowe for Kaberle. After reading a buncha stuff around the trade deadline last season about how RW would bench Kaberle all the time, i can’t help but wonder why he was in Wilsons dog house and whether he’s really worth more than Ryane Clowe.
Khasz…don’t let the T.O media/and/or fanbase try to browbeat you on their players bud.
Kabs is a very good defenseman, but they always overvalue their assets and talk down the opposing teams’ players that way.
Maybe Clowe and a pick( if you have your average season, a 2nd rounder is around 50th or worse )…but don’t let those guys convince you he is the second coming of Bobby Orr…they are good at it though huh? We all do it to a degree, you always value what you know more…but T.O are the masters of that one….
I could see you guys getting Kaberle before either one of ours….
It really does depend on the kind of D’man you feel you need.
An argument for both can be made, which is what makes it so much rosterbatory fun!
Personally, I hope you are right on Kabs. He doesn’t seem to be a West Coast player. Supposedly his trade list was all Eastern teams once upon a time.
Maybe he comes as a mercenary, and loves it so much he stays…that happens too for us West Coast teams.
I can see us trading Bieksa, but not to the Sharks, or even Ducks if that can be avoided.
Mitchell is UFA, so he can go where he wants. The GMMG was on the local sports radio today( haven’t heard it yet )…saying that he would be talking to Mitchell, and that “Cap won’t be a problem” .
With him, I would still think that Vancity is first choice if they can reach a fair deal. He does love playing at home ( I thought he was a Port McNeill native myself…but someone above said he was born in Minny …though he does have a summer cabin there from his time as a member of the Wild that he loves…for all that hunting and fishing and stuff. )…I am pretty sure he is a good Canadian kid from Vancouver Island though.
Zero is right though, you don’t want to ride Boyle 30 minutes a game. He is a wonder, but you want him fresh for the dance in Spring.
I do believe it's his WIFE who is from MN
But yeah, he’s a local boy for you guys
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
I think Malkin is on a lot of schitt-lists, even those that aren't Canuck fans, for that hit.
Can’t cheer for anyone that would hit on the numbers like that, I don’t care how badass their other plays are.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
Signing Mitchell would be very, very nice. I like this article.
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.
Twitter! rmorse05
Please let this happen
I would be quite happy if it did.
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Fools and Sages
Agreed
The Sharks need to make a move to fill in the lat remaining gaps. That or they could test out their current D and wait until the beginning of the season to make trades or even wait till the deadline. Seems like a FA is the best route considering we are also testing new goalies. Hopefully we hear something from DW and co. soon.
Honestly...
I feel like this is the last chance for DW to make this team stack up anywhere near where our team last year did. In fact, I’d say this makes our team even better than last year. I just want it so bad!
'Like' my band. I mean, it'd be awesome if you did that.
I’d risk $3 million, and we can afford it. We have $3.7 mil in space (I like that Gooch deal now) and only need a bottom 6 forward and maybe a healthy scratch. But we’d also likely move a D-man if we got him, creating more space.
"I just twoted all over the place!"
"The last time I made a video in a hotel room…..very different than this." – Drew Remenda
Proud founder of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
Problem is, I don't think it's the dollars that gets this done...
I think its the years. Coming off the injury, I’m assuming Mitchell is looking for term. Don’t know if Wilson will give it to him.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
There is no reason why Wilson wouldn’t give Mitchell a multi-year deal. He’s 33 and he could retire without hurting the cap in the future. I think Wilson gives him a 3 year deal.
If Mitchell gets hurt again he’ll go on the LTIR and won’t count against the cap and if he is forced to retire (see:Lindros) he will not count against any future cap.
If he wants to play here he’ll get top line mintues (maybe top 4). He won’t get that in DET or VAN.
But he’ll still get paid if he goes on LTIR, and that’s something that can’t be ignored.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
by Matthew_Taylor on Aug 3, 2010 8:39 AM PDT up reply actions
And that’s why it would be a good deal for Mitchell.
Let’s not act like the Sharks don’t make a grip of profit every season. The Sharks have a strong fan base and playoff revenue, the cap is lower than the Sharks available budget. The NHL Salary Cap is there for teams like Phoenix and Nashville.
If they want a cup, they are going to have to risk a few million here and there. There will be a lot more money for SVSE in winng the cup then they risk in Mitchell.
That’s a pretty big assumption, a lot of teams that you would not expect to lose money do. Now I don’t have the numbers to dispute your claim but its not a black and white as it would seem considering the Hawks somehow lost money last year, while going to the finals and having a pretty filled arena.
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
In general, sports franchises will paint a bleak economic picture by reporting expenses that exceed income, and yet tax benefits are generally not publicized (i.e. investment in a team will allow an owner to offset “on-paper” losses with profits in other businesses they own). There’s a reason it’s rare to see an owner who solely runs a professional sports franchise— it’s not profitable in and of itself.
Not to say that concerns about a team’s profitability aren’t an issue here, but publicized reports in the sports field shouldn’t always be taken at face value.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Totally agree.
Never underestimate the skill of a well-compensated accountant at tax time.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
One W. Mitchell to the Sharks PLEASE!
Beefy up our D thanks. :)
High sticking, tripping, slashing, spearing, charging, hooking, fighting, unsportsmanlike conduct, interference, roughing… everything else is just figure skating.
- Anonymous
"My hope is that we put him (Couture) on a line with Seto and CloweThen you get the Coochy-Goochy-Clowe line." - Cerise
Don't bite your thumb at me, good Sirs
Caps D isn’t that bad… Varly did have a 2.41 GAA when the dust settled, 2nd among playoff goalies with at least 2 appearences. 100% of Caps fans (and well, maybe Sharks fans) would take that GAA for the playoffs. Wasn’t the defense’s fault Halak went all Halak and our offense sucked fat… fin.
That said, I wouldn’t mind adding Mr. Mitchell. And it sounds like you all wouldn’t mind having him either.
We should settle this the old-fashioned way: Penalty shots.
I still think the Caps would like to have one more defenseman. Hey, if we sign Mitchell and maybe trade for Kaberle, we could always trade Murray to yall! He’d look good with Poti on a pairing. I think it will come down to the Caps and the Sharks…I’m personally hoping that Willie likes the West Coast enough to join up for a run at the Cup in San Jose.
We should settle this the old-fashioned way: Penalty shots.
Wouldn’t this be the new fashioned way? :-P
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 3, 2010 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions
caps d is straight, they DONT need him.
Theyre little caps team just won the calder cup.
and have a shit ton of defense clogging up the pipeline.
theyre not going to get mitchell
And if we signed mitchell what the hell would we do with kaberle
why do we need kaberle?
why the fuck do we need to get rid of murray
just resign the swede to a 2 year extension seriously is he going to command that much money?
by withintheruins14 on Aug 3, 2010 1:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Um….what?
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 3, 2010 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I get it. Sign Mitchell, fuck Kaberle, keep Murray cuz he’s a fucken badass and then resign him to 2 year extension on the cheap.
I’m down wit it.
Except Murray is signed for like 3 or 4 more seasons already.
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by ZeroIndulgence on Aug 3, 2010 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Murray's just gotta skate faster this year.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
Murray. Skate fast. Hahahahahahahahhahahaha.
I say, keep Murray for the entertainment value. Seriously. When he’s on the ice I’m always cackling with delight (yes, CACKLING. Whether he just slugged some guy when the ref wasn’t looking, or skating in the opposite direction of the puck, he elicits CACKLES).
Say what you want about Murray...
…but I’ll never forget that epic “behind Nabby” action on that disputed CHI goal in Game 3. That was the definition of “Epic save attempt” (even though unsuccessful).
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
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Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
+1
I don’t even know where to begin…
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Me either.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
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Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
obviously ur head is up yo ass… both mclellan and wilson acknowledged that we need more scoring and better breakout passes from the blueline… although murray is a beast, his breakout passes arent the best and he is pretty much an anchor for boyle and the whole top line.. and with vlasic securely being our #4 dman we obviously need to get rid of murray and get an offensive dman to pair with him (i.e kaberle) and a better top 2 shutdown dman that can pair wit boyle (i.e mitchell)…
I would probably say that Vlasic is actually our #2 d-man, just playing on the second pairing. I agree that Murray COULD be expendable, but only if the returns are considerable.
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.
Twitter! rmorse05
Agreed.
Don't let the name deceive you, I'm not just a Sharks fan but a Lakers, 49ers, Angels, Giants (and to a lesser extent) Capitals, and Titans fan.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Aug 3, 2010 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Sorry, but all I care about right now is Shut down D.
I could care less if d-men score points, as shutting down opposing offense is needed far more ATM. Develop that skill. Get people that back up niitty, or our defense is gonna be real schiitty.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
Oh I see what you did there.
A complement to him would be nice (a la Grebeshkov had he not bolted for the KHL), but I would be fine with just getting Mitchell.
Don't let the name deceive you, I'm not just a Sharks fan but a Lakers, 49ers, Angels, Giants (and to a lesser extent) Capitals, and Titans fan.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Aug 3, 2010 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions
We might be the ones most likely to buy that excuse after we got Hiller’ed the year previous to us.
But after the shit we took to it, you can enjoy your nice bowl of “EVERYBODY CHOKED WHEN IT MATTERED MOST”.
I think I’m still bitter.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
I'm certainly still bitter.
Every hockey fan I meet down here lets me know about it.
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.
Twitter! rmorse05
We should settle this the old-fashioned way: Penalty shots.
Are you sure you want to do that? Remember the last time the Sharks got penalty shots in a game against the Caps…
American Heroes: Joe Pavelski, Buster Posey, David Backes
Proud member of the "Doug Wilson for Governor" Club
Fools and Sages
I'd be happy
to see MItchell in teal.
BERTUZZI: "Getting tired, Nabby? You've got another five and a half minutes of hell coming."
NABOKOV: "You've got another five and a half minutes left in your season."
GO GET 'IM, DW!
You know, despite all the BS our franchise gets each year from the rest of the country, it’s gotta say something when we give great players a place to peak out before they retire (JR, Blake), and up-and comers a place to see ice time. Blows my mind how we get booed at the draft.
I really see nothing but upside with Mitch. Especially as he is going to play his a-double-dollar-signs off for whomever does good by him. If he pans out, that takes away the pain of losing Manny and Nabby a bit. The guy has grit, heart, and the required skills.
Add that to the stiffer penalties on blind numbers-side hits they passed, we really have limited downside, unless his neck is made of glass (like hell).
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
I think the draft being held in LA had something to do with the boos :-p
Who’s gonna finish this off? I am going Boyle. - FML! No more OT Predictions from me!
Point taken.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
Bleeding teal since 1997
Founder: Retire Teal #20 with Honors Club
Apologies if this was mentioned elsewhere
But the Sharks resigned Mike Moore yesterday.
That’s all… I’m retreating back into the shadows. ;-)
Go Sharks.
Fear The Fin = Man goes into cage... Cage goes into salsa... Shark's in the salsa... Our shark.
Hey Plank,
When you wrote this: “Furthermore, it allows Doug Wilson to go after the puck moving defenseman (i.e. Tomas Kaberle) that he craves,” what did you mean exactly? Will this help in attracting Kaberle?
Kaberle has no say in where he goes if he is traded soon.
He means that it would give us enough shut down defensemen to run 3 offensive puck moving defensemen on a regular basis. Essentially, we’d have somebody to cover his ass while he’s on the ice.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Can we please just sign him?
PLEEEEAAAAASSE?
It’s all I’ve wanted this off season since before July…
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
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